Freshmen year at Temple, I went with to the Anime club withmy Korean friend. I didn’t understand the passion the "Anime Club" shared for these big-doe eyed cartoon charcters who seemed to have supernatural powers. Even when I saw the increasing piles of japanese comics, it failed to capture my enchantment.
Manga– the japanese comics are slowly becoming popular among the counter-culture enthusiasts. The sterotypical Manga will have lots of sex and violence in it. Its been associated with Japenese business-men reading manga in the sub-ways and trains. Manga- has a sort of "naughty" reputation here. But in my opinion, manga is the new Hello Kitty.
Japan and the new culture:
One of my favorite teachers who runs a culture program in Tokyo every summer said, "Tokyo is three years ahead of America." I agree. Manga is making a slow apperance in mainstream western culture. Imprints of manga on t-shirts, manga posters and mostly, manga comics are gaining popularity.
When I worked at Waldens Book two summers back, I sold Pokemon cards more than books. I’m not sure if the Pokemon card sales are still as high, but I should have recognized the slow percolation of the japanese culture back then. For some reason, I thought that Japan was behind – but boy, was I wrong!
According to morbid outlook, Saying something is in style- or its the "in" fashion, is always fairly exxagerated. But in Japan, the fashions, the fads- are universal and everyone follows them.
Platform shoes, red hair, french-maid look, "gothic lolita" look, black dresses with white lace trim, metallic pointed shoes, clumpy mascara— so typically japanese. To think we associated brocade kimono’s and gesiha outfits with the japanese at one point!
While the Manga and Pokemon are already here, I think the west is ready to welcome the japanese fashion which reminds me of hybrid futurisitc theory-! i don’t think paris or milan is the fashion mecca anymore. its tokyo, one hundren percent tokyo.
A trend spotting website highlighted the snazzy bra straps japanese women are wearing these days. its become fashionable to let your bra straps show. they have cool- beaded straps, neon straps, jeweled straps– even customizable straps!
Popular culture, youth culture and now the fashion culture– Japan’s slowly invading the pysyche of the 21st century futurisitc civilization!